UK Health & Wellness Success Stories Archive
- Susie Stombaugh
- Penny Cruse
- Bernadine McGhee
- Jill Hatton
- Ron Horvath
- Ronnie Chaffins
- Pat Field
- Tim and Julene Jones
- Charlene Wesley
Susie Stombaugh: Winner of 08 Biggest BLUE Loser lost 12.7% of her body weight!
Why did you decide to join Biggest Blue Loser?
I really needed to lose weight for many reasons, health issues being a major one. I’m a competitive person. So, I thought the competition aspect of BBL would give me extra motivation.
How did the program/staff help you?
They were SO encouraging! Even on weeks I did not lose any weight, they encouraged me that I could do this. They were also very knowledgeable and willing to find out anything they did not know at the moment.
What was your biggest challenge?
Mentally, my biggest challenge was actually believing I could lose weight and keep it off. Practically, my biggest challenge was finding time to exercise. I often walked on our treadmill after everyone had gone to bed!
What are your results to date? Have you reached your goal?
I have a long way to go to reach my goal. So, I’m trying to focus on short-term goals. I am continuing with Weight Loss Matters and my goal is to lose 10 more pounds in this next session. I am also participating in Wildcats on the Move, and I’ve set a goal of 300 minutes of activity per week.
How does it feel to be YOU now?
Some days it feels really great, when I look at how far I’ve come and how much better I’m feeling. Other days I look at how far I have to go, and it doesn’t feel so great. I’m trying to focus on the short term so I can reach my long term goals one step at a time.
Just make the phone call: A Body Shop Success Story
Penny Cruse became involved in the UK Health & Wellness Program because she wanted to lose weight and feel good about herself. Penny has already experienced a great deal of success in Weight Loss Matters by dropping 23 pounds and two pants sizes! She decided to join Body Shop Fitness, after learning in WLM that exercise is crucial to maintaining weight loss. Penny, who works for the UK Educational and Counseling Psychology department, currently exercises at Alumni Gym for one hour and 10 minutes two days per week. She spends 10 minutes on a stationary bike, 25 minutes on a treadmill, and 35 minutes on her resistance training program created by a Body Shop staff member.
Like many people, Penny initially doubted she would have enough time to work out. She also thought she was too out of shape. But a friend encouraged her to "just get moving and do some kind of exercise even if it is something small." Penny realized the "all or nothing" approach does not apply to exercise, and it is okay to start slowly and work toward goals one step at a time.
Penny's exercise goals include building cardio endurance and eventually being able to jog again. She wants to look toned and continue to increase her energy level. Since joining the Body Shop, Penny feels more energized in the evening after work, and she has a desire to do more than sit around and watch TV or read. "I feel good about myself," Penny said. "It helps my self-esteem and sense of well-being." Penny also noted that exercise is a good stress reliever.
Penny's advice to anyone considering joining Body Shop Fitness: "Just make the phone call and get your free fitness consultation, so you will get started. Making the phone call to get started was the hardest step for me."
-- Katie Chester, Graduate Assistant.
BeH.I.P. Success Story: Living her best life
Bernadine McGhee, UK Counseling & Testing Center
What H & W Programs do you participate in?
I started with the BeH.I.P. program in August 2007 because my doctor recommended it. She said I needed accountability.
Why did you decide to make a change?
My weight had gotten up to 256. My doctor was worried about diabetes. It runs on my father’s side of the family.
How did the program/staff help you?
The staff helped through guidance and instruction and encouragement and education!
What is your ultimate goal?
My ultimate goal is to eat right for life and exercise for life, and be all that I can be!
How does it feel to be YOU now?
Even better now, that I can feel looseness in my clothes, I always thought good of myself even when I was 17 pounds heavier.
What was your biggest challenge?
My biggest challenge was doing this without drugs or the new medical procedures. I’ve been overweight since birth, and I accepted that because it was easier to deal with. I figure God made poodles, and he made Saint Bernards. I live my life not based on society but who I am.
Success story: From feeling stuck to running 5K’s
If you had told Jill Hatton a year ago that she’d be gearing up to complete her fifth 5K race in a year, she wouldn’t have believed you. But it’s a fact.
Jill started her journey to better health by simply participating in the UK Healthtrac Rewards Program. When Jill spoke to her health coach last December, she mentioned feeling stuck with her weight loss results.
“I felt stuck in a never ending situation. I was tired of feeling the same way and looking the same way,” Jill said. “I couldn’t understand how I could work full-time and go to school full-time and juggle all of that, but I couldn’t lose this weight and keep it off very long.”
That’s when Jill learned she could see a dietitian through the UK Health & Wellness Program at no cost. In January, she began working with Kim Moore, program liaison and registered dietitian. Kim gave Jill a nutrition plan focused on calorie counting and portion control. Jill began keeping a food diary and notes not only what she eats, but why she is eating to keep tabs on emotional eating.
“I realize that if I don’t document something in that journal, I am only lying to myself. So everything goes in there,” Jill said.
Jill knows that healthy nutrition is only part of the weight-loss solution. She recently completed her fifth 5K race this year. She also began strength training to help reach her ultimate goal of competing in a triathlon.
“In a million years, I never thought I would ever, ever do anything like this at all,” Jill said. “I learned how to swim earlier in the year. Before then, I was totally afraid of the water. Now, I love swimming.”
Jill’s biggest challenge has been finding time for fitness and sticking to it. She took Kim’s advice and shifted her thinking about fitness. She now thinks of it as part of her daily routine just like eating and sleeping. Her dedication has made a lasting impression on her partner in health, Kim Moore.
“Jill is a role model for behavior change and a diligent student in the areas of nutrition and exercise. We set goals together and she does her homework assignments,” Kim said. “Between our sessions every three months, she keeps me informed of her progress via e-mail. We celebrate her successes – like her best 5K time ever last week! And I encourage her along the way. She is a constant reminder of why I do what I do on a daily basis.”
Has Jill’s hard work and commitment to better health paid off? Yes, in amazing ways. Jill’s cholesterol, blood glucose and blood pressure have all improved, and she has dropped six pant sizes and eight shirt sizes so far. She still has a way to go before reaching her goal but puts it all in perspective. “I have realized my weight did not appear over night and will definitely not leave overnight,” Jill said.
-- Melanie Jackson
Healthtrac Success Story: The 37,000 mile man
"Within a month of having a heart attack in July of 1992, I began a campaign of exercise walking that my cardiologist strongly recommended. I started out weighing about 224 pounds with a 240 cholesterol level. In the early days of my ‘walking,’ I was lucky to complete 20 to 30 minutes or about one mile. As I began to lose weight, my exercise time increased as well as the distance. Beginning in November of 1992, I began a ‘consecutive day historical log’ of my walking.
To make a long story short, I have not missed a single day of walking since November 1992 until the present. That’s more than 15 years of consecutive walking days, during which I have accumulated more than 37,000 miles! (I am a record-keeper.) I have maintained my weight (170-175) as well as my blood test results. I am 68 years of age, and I now average about four to five miles a day at about 2.5 mph (most of which is on my treadmill). I’ve slowed a bit, but the streak continues. UK Healthtrac Rewards provides an additional incentive for me, and I will continue my routine as long as I am able. There is hope for all!"
— Ron Horvath, UK Retiree, Louisville, Ky.
Healthtrac Success Story:
40-Pound Weight Loss Leads to New Clothes and New Outlook
"I just wanted to share some statistics on my success with UK Healthrac Rewards. I signed up in November 2006. On November 1, 2007, I decided to eat healthier, exercise more (aerobics and strength training), and hopefully lose some weight. My biometrics at that date were: Weight 201 lbs., Height 5' 9", Waist 35”, Cholesterol 205 with good below 55, BP 128/ 80.
As of April 21, 2008 they were: Weight 161 lbs., Waist 31”, Cholesterol 180 with good at 60, BP 101/72. I have gone from large to medium shirts, 32” waist pants (as 31's are hard to locate), neck size reduced to 16 from 17 1/2. I now exercise and do strength training 5 evenings per week for 45 minutes to 1 hour, along with my wife.
My diet has changed dramatically. I now eat no donuts and very little sweets except for a couple of dark chocolates (total calories about 60 every day or so). Fried foods are out and salads, fish, baked chicken, all kinds of dark greens and vegetables, apples, grapes, grapefruit, whole grains in everything are in. I feel great with more energy and haven't looked this way or felt this good in 20 years!!!!!!!! Thank you for helping me realize through your program that a healthy lifestyle is important. Once you start it, you don't want to ever quit. The only problem I have had is that none of my suits or clothes fit!! So I had to cough up some money and go out and buy some clothing that fit. Well, that's actually good. Goodwill got all the larger stuff.
I now can total over 1,000 points per month because of exercise, diet and other physical activity on my Healthy Activity Tracker. It does take willpower, but as the results start rolling in, you’ll be very proud that at last you are able to take care of what God has given you."
— Ronnie Chaffins, Spouse of UK Employee
In March 2007, the Health & Wellness team received this e-mail:
Good afternoon –
I joined the Wildcat Walk last year at this time. I could only walk around 2,000 steps a day then.;I have continued to count my steps and try to increase them a little at a time. My pulmonary specialist put a limit of 7,500 steps on me. I admit I don’t walk that much every day, but I consider myself a success story. I have lost 55 pounds. My asthma is much better and I feel much better. I have set myself the goal of another 50 pounds this year, but even if I don’t make that goal, I will keep walking.
Thank you so much for this program. It has and is changing my life.
Pat Field
Physician Assistant Studies
College of HealthSciences
We just had to follow up to see how Pat achieved this impressive accomplishment:
H&W: Why did you decide to participate in the Wildcat Walk program?
Pat:I wanted to start to exercise and with my asthma I have never been able to do anything, or so I thought. So I thought that I could walk.I cannot walk outside, so I did not participate in the organized walks. I set up my own program. One step at a time. With the [pedo]meter, I was able to check my steps, not miles, every day and slowly increase. When someone says the path is only a mile, I would think – “yeah, and who can walk a mile?” Counting steps is so great – you do not even realize that you are walking a mile. I developed my own program by counting the steps each day, and I kept the log. I found that I could walk down the hall and back and add steps. Pretty soon I had increased by steps by 500 to 1,000 at day. We are talking about a person that did not walk anywhere if I could get out of it. We are not talking about a person that wants to walk a mile a day – I was happy just to get to my car without sitting down for a break so that I could breath.
H&W:What was the best part of your journey and the biggest challenge?
Pat:The best part was I had found an exercise that I could do at my own pace and I could improve at my own pace. The biggest challenge was realizing that I could walk. I had such a hard time breathing that walking always meant out-of-breath or leg pain or lung pain. I found I can walk – inside. I can walk 3 miles a day, only not at one time, divided up during the day. I found I could do this! The day that I walked 9,000 steps, I was beside myself with accomplishment and joy. This was me walking a step at a time.
H&W: Was it difficult?
PF:Yes it was difficult. I had not had any type of exercise in years. Overcoming the negative thoughts of “I can’t do this” – “I can’t breath” – “I am exhausted” – was difficult. When you have not walked but the bare necessities for years, walking is a major thing to accomplish.
H&W:Did you enjoy it?
PF:Yes, I enjoyed it – the fact that I could. Even if I just walked 50 steps more today than yesterday, I did it. I was walking and believe me that was and is a great big deal. I never walked, I used the phone or e-mail.
H&W:Any advice for others?
PF: The trick that worked for me: Don’t compare what you can do to what others are doing or say they can do or what goals others set for you. Set your own goals: “I am going to walk 20 or 50 more steps each day this week than I did last week. That means I will walk to the end of my office and back one extra time a day, and not use the phone to call – I will walk down there.” Set small goals that you can achieve, but keep setting them higher each day or even each week. Small steps were the answer for me for both the walking and the changes in my diet.
To date, Pat has lost 65 pounds and has joined the Health & Wellness team as an advocate.
For this couple, losing is a win-win situation
Tim and Julene Jones know what it’s like to be losers. The married couple, both UK employees, were the winners of Weight Loss Matters’Biggest Loser competition.
"We decided to enroll because it would be a kick-start to a healthier lifestyle for us," said Tim, who works for the Kentucky Transportation Center.
Julene lost 10.8% of her starting weight; Tim lost 9.3%.
“(Weight Loss Matters) was a lot easier than I thought it would be,” said Julene, who works for the Libraries in Special Projects. "Karen (Bryla McNees) and Kim (Moore) were very encouraging when I would see them at our weekly class, and Tim gave me tons of support during the week, especially when we would exercise together and plan our meals."
Tim agreed that the program was not difficult, but did say that it required "some thought when planning and preparing meals."
"The biggest challenge has been to overcome or deal with emotional and mental issues with regard to weight loss and appearance," said Tim. "For example, it was rather intimidating to walk into the gym the first time. I just wanted to be invisible. But as time progressed, I realized there were others at the gym for the same reason I was – to lose weight."
For Julene, the biggest challenge was recognizing and overcoming her emotionally driven eating habits.
"When I would have a bad day, I used to eat to feel better," she explained. "Now, I’ve realized that I deserve to be healthy. That’s become my motto – that I deserve to be healthy."
Since the program Tim has maintained his weight loss and Julene has continued to lose.
The hardest part of the program was making the initial phone call
Charlene Wesley joined UK’s Weight Loss Matters program in May 2007 and attended two 10-week sessions. We asked Charlene to tell us what the program was like for her. She said the lessons she learned will stay with her the rest of her life:
H&W: Why did you decide to start Weight Loss Matters?
Charlene: I decided to join the Weight Loss Matters program because my weight was getting out of control and the physical constraints were beginning to control my life. When I realized that my weight was limiting me, I decided it was time to do something about it.
H&W: Was the program difficult?
Charlene: The program is not difficult at all! They provide a food plan, not actual menus, based on your current weight, physical activity, etc., that lets you incorporate all foods. When you surrender your eating habits to that plan instead of trying to force them into the plan, it works like a charm.
H&W: Did you enjoy it?
Charlene: I did enjoy the program, the ease of it all. I lost weight even without an exercise program. I enjoyed keeping track of what was going into my body. It was almost like a science experiment. I actually felt like I was finally in control of some part of my life. I was never hungry and my energy level started to soar almost immediately. I lost weight the very first week and after gaining weight steadily for almost two years, it was a much needed boost to my confidence level. I learned something new each week during the classes and the support from the staff was tremendous; always encouraging.
H&W: Have you been able to keep the weight off?
Charlene: I have been able to keep the weight off. I had a relapse of sorts during the holidays, but as soon as I started writing down my food intake again, the weight started coming off again. I don't write my intake on a daily basis anymore, but I know if I start gaining again, the weight loss is just a pencil stroke away. I think differently about what role food plays in my life and I think that makes the biggest difference for me. I have lost an additional 10 pounds since attending the program and would lose even more if I put myself back into that routine.
H&W: What was your biggest challenge?
Charlene: The hardest part of the program was making the initial phone call and admitting that I had issues with the weight. I thought I would be embarrassed going to a weight loss program, but everyone has the same interest in mind and they are working on their own goals. It’s just as encouraging seeing them attend as it was to attend myself.
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